The event will take place at
American Legion Post 199 at 700 S. Mobile St. The music is being orchestrated
by Cathe Steele, best known these days for the concert she presents at Blue
Moon Farm near Silverhill. She said the prime motive for the concert is to
support and preserve a distinctive institution that has made immense
contributions to Fairhope's unique character.

Just Coasting

Lawrence Specker is a Mobile-based entertainment reporter for Alabama Media Group. This column appears Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, serving as a grab bag of opinion, local entertainment news and general pop notes. Have topics you’d like to suggest? Feel free to contribute in the comments section below, or e-mail lspecker@al.com.

The small K-8 school was founded in
1907, when Fairhope itself was less than 20 years old, by Marietta Johnson. She
instituted an unconventional program that downplayed testing, let children
learn at their own individual pace and put an emphasis on exposure to nature
and the arts. Steele, who attended the school herself, said one of its
hallmarks is that children "leave with a better sense of wanting to learn."

Steele said the school has helped
make Fairhope what it is, particularly in its role as a haven for artists. "A
lot of the reason Fairhope is such a wonderful town is because of the people who
have graduated from the school," she said.

The event starts at 2 p.m.;
admission is a donation of $20. Steele said that music will take place inside
the Post's main hall, which also is used as the site of the annual LA
Songwriters Festival. The silent auction will feature works by local artists,
among other items; food will be available, and patrons will be able to explore
the post's beach while the event is under way.

Steele said she expects a
freewheeling performance format, with the participating musicians playing short
sets and collaborating throughout the day. All the performers are donating
their time, she said.

"They're doing this because they know what the
school brings to the community," Steele said.